GM has introduced a recall after a dozen reported fires in somewhat greater than a yr, and no less than two fires this month alone that had their “last” software program repair in place. Right here’s what it is advisable to know, and the foremost questions that we’re left with.
GM once more exploded into the mainstream information final week with an announcement that it was no longer safe to charge the Chevy Bolt EV unattended and that house owners ought to park exterior and away from buildings out of fireside issues. Many house owners who don’t take note of the information had been annoyed to seek out out this week by way of Fb or different sources. Regardless of not being included within the announcement, GM nearly silently replied on Twitter that house owners must also return to solely charging to 90%, harking back to the unique recall late final yr.
This all began with a recall of 68,000 Bolt EVs in November of final yr. Whereas Hyundai had a similar problem and finally elected to replace all Kona EV batteries with newer ones, GM determined that software could fix their problems. There have been no less than two Bolt EV fires that had the final software update put in, which prompted GM’s latest announcement.
Whereas some are fast to level out that electrical car fires are nonetheless much less frequent than gasoline automotive fires, the other is definitely true with the Bolt EV. Particularly the 2019 mannequin yr, which is more than an order of magnitude more likely to catch fire than a 2019 gasoline automotive, and it may achieve this in the course of the night time if you’re sleeping.
This morning GM lastly has an announcement, though it leaves us with extra questions than solutions:
FINAL Bolt EV Security Recall Media Assertion – July 23nd, 2021
As a part of this recall, GM will exchange faulty battery modules within the recall inhabitants. We’ll notify clients when substitute components are prepared. Whereas we put together to conduct this recall, we’re asking clients to take the next steps till the brand new treatment has been carried out:
1. Clients ought to, whether or not or not they obtained the present software program replace, return their car to the 90% state of cost limitation utilizing Hilltop Reserve mode (for 2017-2018 mannequin years) or Goal Cost Degree (for 2019 mannequin yr) mode. If clients are unable to efficiently make these modifications, or don’t really feel snug making these modifications, we’re asking them to go to their supplier to have these changes accomplished.
2. Moreover, we ask that clients cost their car after every use and keep away from depleting their battery beneath roughly 70 miles of remaining vary, the place attainable.
3. Out of an abundance of warning, clients ought to proceed to park their automobiles exterior instantly after charging and never depart their automobiles charging in a single day.
Within the meantime, clients who haven’t visited their supplier to obtain the superior diagnostics software program ought to go to their nearest Chevrolet EV supplier to acquire the replace. After acquiring the software program, clients ought to nonetheless restrict their state of cost to 90% and in any other case comply with the recommendation above.
We encourage house owners who’ve extra questions or issues to go to www.chevy.com/boltevrecall or contact the Chevrolet EV Concierge 1-833-EVCHEVY (out there Monday via Friday from 8:00am – 12:00am ET; Saturday and Sunday from 12:00pm – 9:00 pm ET) or contact their most well-liked Chevrolet EV supplier.
GM’s official announcement on the battery fireplace downside
LG blamed – two simultaneous battery defects and a nasty yr
That is fairly the reveal. LG has had a very dangerous no good horrible yr.
LG Power Options makes the battery for the Bolt and Kona EV, in addition to has their very own line of stationary storage merchandise for residential and grid storage. First, they agreed to exchange the 82,000 batteries bought to Hyundai for the Kona EV, Ioniq, and Elec Metropolis buses. Though the initial rumors were from a faulty battery separator, Hyundai later stated that the issue was badly folded tabs. LG denied this, as an alternative placing the blame again on Hyundai. GM emphatically identified that they use a special separator, and a special manufacturing facility. Thus neither of these issues ought to apply to the Bolt fires. However actually now we have now questions.
Porsche recently initiated a recall on a loss of power in its Taycan LG batteries, and Ford additionally moved from LG in its Mustang Mach-E to SK in its Ford F-150 Lightning.
In December LG announced a US recall for a few of their residence battery methods. Again in March for Australia. Lastly, in Could, they introduced a worldwide free replacement program for any models made between April 2017 and September 2018. Now there’s a class action lawsuit against LG launched a bit greater than a month in the past, alleging a scientific battery downside. One other class motion lawsuit has been filed against Chevrolet for a similar purpose.
A grid storage location fire in Arizona in 2019 that caused an explosion was decided to be a single LG cell catching fireplace. Of specific be aware:
Cells taken at random from elsewhere within the battery system, and from its twin system at Pageant Ranch, confirmed “lithium metallic deposition and irregular dendritic development”
Put collectively, it’s fairly clear that LG cells have some issues.
In spite of everything this, Hyundai is switching to SK Innovation batteries for the Ioniq 5. This maybe performed into LG’s choice to settle their lawsuit against SK for $1.8 billion USD.
Their issues aren’t over both. Another Hyundai Kona EV caught fire about a month ago. It’s unclear if it had had its battery changed; the method is anticipated to take greater than a yr because of provide constraints.
Extra questions than solutions
We reached out to GM for remark, and had been supplied with:
The recalled inhabitants contains automobiles the place cells the place made at LG plant in Ochang, Korea. We don’t assume each car inside recall inhabitants had faulty batteries. The defect is the simultaneous presence of two uncommon manufacturing defects in the identical battery cell. We consider if clients comply with the steps we’re suggesting whereas they wait to finish the brand new recall restore that ought to mitigate any battery security danger.
GM spokesperson
This actually feels like they’re not changing the entire Korean manufactured batteries.
The spokesperson additionally talked about that GM remains to be working across the clock on the recall replace to finalize the main points. We’ll replace this text as quickly as extra data is offered.
The large questions
Are all they simply changing some modules, all modules, or total batteries?
Will they exchange for all 2017-2019 Korean-produced batteries or simply some?
Is there going to be any extra diagnostics that may detect these issues?
What are the 2 defects that had been discovered?
How lengthy will this recall program take?
And the largest one:
What can we do to make sure that no batteries catch on fireplace within the meantime?
We’ll replace as quickly as we have now solutions to those.
Electrek‘s take
This can be a fairly massive reveal – there’s not solely one however two “simultaneous” defects have been discovered? This both strains credibility or signifies that LG has an enormous downside, particularly in context of what has been occurring with LG these days.
We do must applaud GM for transferring on this. Whereas it might appear to be three weeks from these newest two fires is a very long time, keep in mind how sluggish massive corporations transfer. The final recall investigation took about 5 weeks from when NHTSA opened an investigation to saying it, after which took six months earlier than we had a solution. This can be a comparatively brief time frame.
Contemplating the danger, particularly to early 2019 Mannequin 12 months house owners, that is simply going to maintain them anxious. The Could 1st fireplace was reportedly solely charged to about 70%, so it’s unclear how limiting to 90% will assist.
Avoiding deep discharges can be curious – that’s a sample that we discovered and reported on a number of instances. Seventy miles is someplace round 30% cost, so limiting to 90% means we’re right down to 60% usable capability. It’s unclear if this may truly forestall fires.
It’s additionally unclear how they’re going to find out which cells have the issues. Possibly the most recent three fires will give them that, however they’ve had 13 months and a dozen fires to analyze. It’s been eight months because the recall was first introduced. In the event that they haven’t been capable of determine it out since then, how for much longer is it going to take?
Most significantly – what are the house owners to do within the meantime?
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